Written Answers Wednesday 5 November 2008

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the number of drink-related offences was in the last year for (a) 10 to 20-year-olds, (b) 21 to 30-year-olds, (c) 31 to 40-year-olds, (d) 41 to 50-year-olds, (e) 51 to 60-year-olds and (f) those over 60 years old.

Kenny MacAskill: Information on the number of drink-related offences in Scotland broken down by age is not held centrally. The following table, however, gives the total number of drink-related offences recorded by the police in 2007-08, broken down by crime/offence group.

  

 Description of Crime/Offence
 Recorded Crimes and Offences


 Non-Sexual Crimes of Violence:
 


 Causing death by careless driving when under influence of drink or drugs
 1


 Miscellaneous Offences:
 


 Drunkenness
 6,702


 Offences by Licensed Persons
 713


 Other Offences Against Liquor Licensing Laws
 1,017


 Consumption of alcohol in designated places, byelaws prohibited
 26,184


 Drunk when riding a bicycle
 55


 Motor Vehicle Offences:
 


 Drunk driving
 10,697


 Total
 45,369

Alcohol Misuse

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has (a) taken and (b) plans to take to inform young people that a child or young person who buys or attempts to buy alcohol, whether for personal use or for another person, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government recognises the need for increased awareness in this respect and will continue to look for appropriate opportunities to do so. For example, we would propose to cover it in the multi-faceted campaign that is currently being developed in conjunction with Young Scot and other agencies, to raise the awareness, profile and acceptance of the Young Scot National Entitlement Card as a proof of age card.

Autism

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for supporting children with autistic spectrum disorder while at (a) primary and (b) secondary school.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 commenced in November 2005 and aims to ensure that the additional support needs of all children and young people are addressed. Education authorities are required to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

  Additionally, the Scottish Government will soon publish The Autism Toolbox, an autism resource for Scottish local authorities and schools. The toolbox will draw on a range of practice experience, literature and research to support education authorities and schools in the delivery of services and planning for children and young people with ASD. The toolbox will address the recommendations in the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education report, Education for pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Scotland, which reported on the educational provision for pupils with ASD in Scotland and was commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Autism

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for supporting schools to provide support and services for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

Adam Ingram: This government has recently established a new working relationship with local government which will help support the education of pupils with additional support needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders. The Scottish Government is providing local government with £34.9 billion over the next three years, an increase of 13.1% across the period. Significant controls and flexibilities have been devolved to better enable local authorities to respond to local needs and priorities.

  The Scottish Government will soon publish The Autism Toolbox, an autism resource for Scottish local authorities and schools. The toolbox will draw on a range of practice experience, literature and research to support education authorities and schools in the delivery of services and planning for children and young people with ASD.

  Additionally, following talks with the Scottish Government, the General Teaching Council for Scotland has now added five new areas to their professional recognition framework, one of which is Additional Support Needs – Autism.

  The Scottish Government is also undertaking a number of other initiatives to help support schools to provide support and services for pupils with ASD including:

  Funding a National Development Officer to focus on transitions for all young people at risk of missing out on education and training opportunities.

  The Scottish Teacher Education Committee (STEC) Action Plan – Framework for Inclusion, a two year action plan to take forward inclusive education in Initial Teacher Education and Continuous Professional Development.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the amount of insecticide used by agricultural enterprises has been rising or falling over the last 10 years and by how much.

Richard Lochhead: Information on the use of pesticides, including insecticides, has been collected and published regularly by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA). A comparison can therefore be made of SASA’s most recent (2006) findings for cereals with the equivalent figures for 1996. This comparison shows a decrease in the amount of insecticides used, from 7,330kg on the 64,501 hectares of cereals which were treated with insecticides in 1996 to 5,661kg on the 83,905 hectares of cereals which were treated with insecticides in 2006. Each survey is however a snapshot of a particular year, with the amount of insecticide used in any given year depending on factors such as the weather conditions and the disease challenge. There have therefore been increases and decreases within the decade in question, as the following table shows:

  

 Year
 Area of Cereals Treated with Insecticides (ha)
 Amount of Insecticides (kg)


 1996
 64,501
 7,330


 1998
 81,448
 10,583


 2000
 71,291
 12,419


 2002
 67,368
 6,482


 2004
 65,792
 7,088


 2006
 83,905
 5,661



  Source: SASA’s biennial survey of Pesticide Usage in Scotland in respect of arable crops. A link to the latest survey is http://www.sasa.gov.uk/mediafiles/0F8E1165_F9C1_B4F6_93CD921F0529616A.pdf.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the overall volume use of insecticides by farm enterprises.

Richard Lochhead: Monitoring of the professional use of agrochemical pesticides in Scotland is carried out by SASA (formerly the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency). Surveys are carried out on a cyclical basis and are synchronised with other surveys covering the whole of the UK. The major arable crops such as cereals, potatoes and oilseed rape are surveyed biennially, and all others such as soft fruit, vegetables, protected crops and hardy nursery stock every four years. Reports are published as hard copy and also on the SASA website at:

  http://www.sasa.gov.uk/pesticide_wildlife/pesticide_usage/index.cfm.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is regional variation in the use of insecticides and, if so, what that variation is.

Richard Lochhead: Pesticide products are approved for specific purposes, i.e. to control specified pests, diseases and weeds in particular situations (for example for late blight on potatoes or aphids on broccoli and cabbages). The use of insecticides will therefore depend to a large extent on where crops are grown, the particular crop being treated and the reason for treating the crop. There will therefore be large regional variations in the use of insecticides across Scotland due to the variations in cropping patterns.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to seek to limit the use of insecticides.

Richard Lochhead: All pesticides are strictly regulated under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and associated regulations. In recent years many older insecticides have been taken off the market following the on-going review of all agrochemical pesticides under Directive 91/414/EEC. It is possible that more pesticide active ingredients will be removed from the market as a result of a revision of that Directive, which revision is currently under discussion in the European Parliament.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is any causal link between the decline in honeybee numbers in Scotland and the use of insecticides.

Richard Lochhead: There are no scientific published studies at present which provide any evidence of a causal link between the reduction of the honeybee population in Scotland and the use of insecticides. Insecticides have been used for many years, with a fairly static usage pattern, whereas the fall in bee populations has occurred more recently. The evidence thus far would suggest no specific link between insecticide usage and bee populations.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that honeybee numbers are affected in any way by the use of insecticides.

Richard Lochhead: Insecticides by their very nature have an impact on target insects, and if used improperly (i.e. not according to label instructions) can affect local bee populations. All agrochemical products have labels which detail the crops, rates of application and conditions under which they can be used, often referred to as Good Agricultural Practice. Detailed risk assessments are carried out on all pesticide active ingredients before a product can be marketed in the UK. Part of this process will assess the risk to beneficial insects such as honeybees prior to approval, and specific conditions may be placed on products which limit how they can be used.

  In addition to the label, all users have to use pesticides according to the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products in Scotland 2006. Section 3.8.5 provides specific details on how to protect bees. For example those pesticides labelled "harmful", "dangerous", "extremely dangerous" or "high risk to bees" should not be applied if crops or weeds are in open flower or part bloom, unless this is allowed by the product label.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any studies have been conducted on the relative rates of honeybee number decline in areas that are free of insecticide use and areas that are not.

Richard Lochhead: I am not aware of any such studies.

Bees

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to conduct research into any relationship between honeybee numbers and the use of insecticides.

Richard Lochhead: We have no plans to do so at present. We are however represented on the UK Honey Bee Research Funders’ Forum, which aims to maximise the coherence and effectiveness of research into health and other threats to the sustainability of honeybees in the UK. As part of this, we will be monitoring the outcome of current research projects funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which include work on risks to honeybees from pesticide usage.

Blood Transfusion Service

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15488 by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008, whether the results of the recent consultation on the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service strategy for the next five years and beyond have been published.

Shona Robison: The response to the recent public consultation on the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service’s strategy for the next five years is now available on their website www.scotblood.co.uk . On 31 October 2008, printed copies were forwarded to each MSP and anyone wishing a printed copy should contact the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service directly.

Broadcasting

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will be required to consult with stakeholders in the process of producing a broadcasting strategy and, if so, when.

Linda Fabiani: Scottish Enterprise will develop this strategy alongside other relevant public bodies and with the support of the industry.

Broadcasting

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will be given additional resources to underpin the proposed broadcasting strategy.

Linda Fabiani: Scottish Enterprise will deliver its strategy within its existing resources.

Broadcasting

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which agency will have responsibility for broadcasting in the absence of Creative Scotland.

Linda Fabiani: There are several agencies involved in supporting the broadcasting industry in Scotland, including Scottish Screen and the enterprise bodies. The Scottish Government is establishing Creative Scotland as a publicly owned limited company early in 2009 to progress the transition from Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council. That will include taking forward the recommendation for Creative Scotland in the Scottish Broadcasting Commission’s report.

Broadcasting

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what work will be undertaken by Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council in relation to developing a structure to support skills and training for the broadcasting industry.

Linda Fabiani: All of our skills delivery bodies such as Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council will work together in partnership with industry and Skillset to better meet the skills needs of Scottish broadcasting. We will look to Skillset to engage fully with employers to provide information on the anticipated skills needs of the sector which will allow the Scottish Government and its partners to ensure that the appropriate solutions are put in place when required.

  We intend to publish a full response to the commission report by the end of the year which will include more detailed information about how we will take forward the specific recommendations

Child Care

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much child care funding was ring fenced under the Working for Families programme in the last year prior to the single outcome agreements.

Stewart Maxwell: There was no ring fencing for any particular element of the programme including child care.

Children with Special Needs

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in school are identified as having (a) autism or Asperger’s syndrome, (b) dyspraxia or developmental co-ordination disorder, (c) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, (d) Tourette’s syndrome, (e) dyslexia, (f) deficit in attention, motor control and perception and (g) any other recognised learning difficulties or learning disabilities, broken down in each case into the number attending (i) mainstream schools and (ii) special schools.

Adam Ingram: The available data has been published in Pupils in Scotland, 2007 , tables 1.7, 1.9, 4.5 and 4.7. These can be accessed through the following link:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/28100032/3.

Council Tax

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on (a) estimated expenditure on council tax benefit for 2007-08 and (b) by which route the payment of this amount was made.

John Swinney: The estimated amount of council tax benefit subsidy for 2007-08 for Scotland was £353 million. This figure is a provisional estimate as the final figure is not yet available. The council tax benefit subsidies are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to councils, based on the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Subsidy claim forms that are submitted by councils to DWP.

Data Security

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what work is undertaken for it, its agencies and bodies for which it is responsible by private security companies.

John Swinney: There is no outsourced physical guarding at the Scottish Government’s premises as this service is provided in-house. However, the Scottish Government has a contract for security guarding services at certain Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

  Private security companies are also occasionally used to provide specialist security advice and/or services in relation to IT security, information security and physical security.

  The Scottish Government does not centrally collate information on agencies, non-departmental public bodies and associated bodies’ contracts for this type of service.

Data Security

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to prevent private security companies from obtaining information about citizens without their knowledge or approval.

Kenny MacAskill: Private security companies are bound by the Data Protection Act 1998. This act gives individuals rights over their personal information and makes it generally unlawful for anyone to collect, hold or process information about people without those persons’ having implicit or explicit knowledge of the fact and, in most cases, without the implicit or explicit consent of those persons. The enforcing body, and general privacy watchdog, in the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the ICO and particularly with his representative in Edinburgh, the Assistant Commissioner for Scotland.

Diabetes

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce testing for insulin levels that would identify a pre-diabetic state in patients.

Shona Robison: A pre-diabetic state is defined as "impaired fasting glucose", or "impaired glucose tolerance", and can be diagnosed from an analysis of a patient’s glucose levels using either a glucose tolerance test or a fasting glucose test. Insulin testing is not appropriate, for the reasons given to the answer to question S3W-16946 on 5 November 2008.

  The National Screening Committee (NSC) has recommended that population screening for diabetes, including type 2 diabetes, should not be offered as it fails to meet a number of the committee’s key criteria. The NSC does however recommend the introduction of a vascular risk management programme, which is consistent with the approach set out in SIGN Guideline 97 on risk estimation and the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

  In line with our commitment to tackling health inequalities, the Keep Well programme, which focuses on cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, provides the opportunity for those aged 45 to 64 living in deprived communities to attend a health check at which they are assessed for the risk or onset of preventable ill health.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Diabetes

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that testing for insulin levels has the potential to identify early those patients at the highest risk of developing diabetes, allowing interventions that would help prevent the onset of diabetes.

Shona Robison: The optimal test for the early identification of diabetes remains uncertain. Insulin is not a reliable indicator, however. People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance, which means they may have raised glucose levels in spite of having insulin levels within the range considered to be normal.

  The Scottish Public Health Network has recently been asked by the Scottish Diabetes Group to undertake a needs assessment on diabetes, and that work offers an opportunity to consider the issue of early intervention to prevent the onset of diabetes.

Diabetes

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the early identification of patients at the highest risk of developing diabetes and treatment to prevent diabetes in these patients have the potential to save the NHS money.

Shona Robison: We recognise the significant value of investing in anticipatory care . Better Health, Better Care commits the Scottish Government to developing programmes such as Keep Well and Well North . Both are targeted at those individuals at high risk of developing serious preventable illness, including type 2 diabetes. Programme interventions include help with making lifestyle changes, as well as medical interventions, to reduce risks and treat any newly detected health conditions.

  There is no treatment that can prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes, but early identification of the condition remains important in order to allow for the prevention of the serious complications which can be associated with it.

Education

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding the Aberdeen 3Rs school project since 7 October 2008.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government’s expertise in supporting infrastructure projects now rests with Scottish Futures Trust (SFT). Discussions have been held between SFT and the council and its professional advisers about the schools project and how to respond to any developments.

Ferry Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the concerns of residents of the Isle of Kerrera that their ferry service will not be considered as part of the Scottish Government’s review of ferry services.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government’s review of ferry services will cover all ferry services in Scotland serving remote and peripheral communities and will include the Isle of Kerrera. The operator of the Isle of Kerrera ferry service has been invited to participate in the review process.

Firearms

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving guns in 2007-08 involved (a) shotguns, (b) handguns, (c) rifles and (d) airguns.

Kenny MacAskill: The latest statistics on firearm offences in Scotland are available in the annual publication Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 2007-08 which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46851). This publication includes statistics on the number of crimes and offences recorded by the police in which a firearm was alleged to have been used or where a firearm was stolen.

  Statistics relating to total use of each weapons category are not available separately as only the main weapon used is recorded for each offence.

  Number of crimes and offences recorded by the police in which a firearm was alleged to have been used, by main firearm used, Scotland 2007-08.

  

 Main Firearm Used
 Number of Offences


 Shotgun
 41


 Rifle
 18


 Pistol/revolver 
 93


 Air weapon
 567


 Imitation firearm
 109


 Unidentified
 104


 Other
 193


 Total
 1,125

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population lives within 40 minutes travel time by ambulance to a hospital that provides a primary angioplasty service.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government expects NHS boards to ensure that 100% of the population is covered by an optimal reperfusion service, in line with the recommendations in SIGN Guideline 93. Within those arrangements, 71 to 84% of the population are likely to be within 40 minutes’ travel time of a hospital with a primary PCI service. The variation relates to the time of day and travelling conditions.

  The recommendation in SIGN Guideline 93 is however that when primary PCI cannot be provided within 90 minutes from time of diagnosis, patients with an ST elevation acute coronary syndrome should receive immediate thrombolytic therapy, and it is on that basis that the optimal reperfusion service is being planned. A travel time of 40 minutes therefore needs to be seen as part of an overall patient journey of 90 minutes from time of diagnosis to treatment.

Homecoming Scotland

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has committed to Homecoming Scotland 2009.

Jim Mather: There is a core budget of £5 million which has been allocated to EventScotland for delivery of Homecoming Scotland 2009. This includes £3 million for programme, £1.25 million for marketing and communications and £0.75 million for operational costs.

  The Scottish Government is also looking to support this national celebration by aligning various activities with the Homecoming programme. The value of this activity is not included in the £5 million budget administered by EventScotland.

Homecoming Scotland

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding for Homecoming Scotland 2009 has been allocated to each local authority, also expressed as a percentage of total Homecoming Scotland 2009 funding.

Jim Mather: Fourteen local authorities, in their role as event owners/organisers, bid for and are receiving funds from the £3 million Homecoming programme budget. The following local authorities are in direct receipt of funding to support specific event activity:

  

 Local Authority/Applicant
 Funds Direct to LAs
 % of total Programme Budget £3,075,098


 Aberdeen City Council Subtotal
£20,000.00 
 0.65%


 Aberdeenshire Council Subtotal
£50,000.00 
 1.63%


 Clackmannanshire Council Subtotal
£10,000.00 
 0.33%


 Dumfries and Galloway Subtotal
£23,000.00 
 0.75%


 East Ayrshire Council Subtotal
£20,000.00
 0.65%


 City of Edinburgh Council Subtotal
£65,000.00 
 2.11%


 Glasgow Subtotal
£120,000.00 
 3.90%


 Highland Council Subtotal
£60,000.00
 1.95%


 Moray Council Subtotal
£10,000.00
 0.33%


 Perth and Kinross Council Subtotal
£40,000.00
 1.30%


 Scottish Borders Council Subtotal
£42,000.00
 1.37%


 South Ayrshire Subtotal
£14,000.00
 0.46%


 Angus and Dundee Councils (shared) Subtotal
£19,000.00
 0.62%


 Totals
£493,000.00
 16.03%

Homecoming Scotland

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to events happening in each local authority area for Homecoming Scotland 2009.

Jim Mather: All local authorities were given an equal chance to benefit from the funding opportunities available. The following table shows funding allocated from the core Homecoming programme budget to events taking place across local authority areas. In addition to this, all local authorities have been given the opportunity to feature relevant events as part of the Homecoming "partner programme". This "partner programme" offers in-kind support, but not direct funding.

  

 Local Authority
 Programme Budget Allocation
 % of Programme Budget


 Aberdeen City Subtotal
£35,000.00
 1.14%


 Aberdeenshire Subtotal
£57,000.00
 1.85%


 Argyll and Bute Subtotal
£40,000.00
 1.30%


 Clackmannanshire Subtotal
£10,000.00
 0.33%


 Dumfries and Galloway Subtotal
£63,000.00
 2.05%


 East Ayrshire Subtotal
£40,000
 1.30%


 East Lothian Subtotal
£30,000
 0.98%


 Edinburgh Subtotal
£391,944.00
 12.75%


 Fife Subtotal
£102,428.00
 3.33%


 Glasgow Subtotal
£521,505
 16.96%


 Highland Subtotal
£177,000
 5.76%


 Midlothian Subtotal
£25,000
 0.81%


 Moray Subtotal
£10,000
 0.33%


 Orkney Subtotal
£5,475
 0.18%


 Perth and Kinross Subtotal
£232,700
 7.57%


 Scottish Borders Subtotal
£52,000
 1.69%


 Shetland Subtotal
£10,000
 0.33%


 South Ayrshire Subtotal
£259,000
 8.42%


 Stirling Subtotal 
£3,000.00
 0.10%


 West Dunbartonshire Subtotal
£6,500
 0.21%


 West Lothian Subtotal
£25,000
 0.81%


 Western Isles Subtotal
£23,946
 0.78%


 Various Subtotal (multiple locations)
£640,140
 20.82%


 Unconfirmed Subtotal
£190,000.00
 6.18%


 Contingency
£124,460.00
 4.05%


 Totals
£3,075,098
 100.00%


 Total Programme Budget
 3,075,098

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to introduce guidance for local authorities on housing renewal areas, as introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has been considering responses it received during a public consultation this summer on draft guidance to support the implementation of housing renewal areas, and other powers, under the 2006 act. Copies of all non-confidential responses to the consultation are available on request from the Scottish Government library.

  Officials are working to revise the guidance and expect to publish it in early 2009. Further information will be provided via the housing pages of the Scottish Government website in due course.

Housing

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the allocation of £100 million brought forward from 2010-11 to 2008 for the Affordable Housing Investment Programme will vary according to existing funding commitments in each local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: In allocating the accelerated spend, we will prioritise bringing forward new construction but will also spend on off the shelf units and land acquisitions where this is strategically sensible and offers good value for money. Allocations will be made to projects rather than to specific local authority areas and will be prioritised to:

  housing market areas with shortfalls

  homelessness pressures

  local pressured areas or specific regeneration projects.

  We announced the first tranche of £9 million of projects, including site starts and land acquisitions on 7 October. Further announcements will be made when projects are agreed.

Housing

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the £25 million in the Homeowners’ Support Fund will be spent.

Stewart Maxwell: The Home Owners’ Support Fund is expected to be spent as follows:

  Approximately £10 million in 2008-09, mainly on the Mortgage to Rent scheme but with some expenditure anticipated on the new Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme, and

  Approximately £15 million in 2009-10, predominantly focused on the Mortgage to Rent and the new Mortgage to Shared Equity schemes.

  However, within these amounts, some funding will also be used for other measures to support home owners facing mortgage difficulties, such as the facility for existing shared equity owners to decrease their equity stake in their homes, and a new awareness raising campaign for the National Debtline.

  The final allocation of resources across the two years will also depend on a range of factors, including the number of eligible home owners applying for assistance under the different schemes in the different years.

Licensing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11326 by Kenny MacAskill on 17 April 2008, what (a) targets it has in place and (b) action it is taking to increase the numbers of licence-holders prosecuted for selling alcohol to intoxicated customers.

Kenny MacAskill: Prosecutors have no targets for the number of prosecutions which should be brought against licence-holders who sell alcohol to intoxicated customers. Decisions to prosecute are taken on a case-by-case basis when reports of such offences are received from the police.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) reported incidents, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there have been under section 105 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 in each year since it came into force.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people have received a fine under section 105 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and what the amount was in each case.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are no such recorded figures because only subsections (1) to (3) and (6) of section 105 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 are in force. The remaining subsections of section 105 will come into force on 1 September 2009. Until then, transitional arrangements apply and these are set out in sections (3) to (5) of the Licensing (Scotland) Act (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2006.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve public awareness of the new Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 regime, which will come into effect on 1 September 2009.

Kenny MacAskill: A leaflet Alcohol Licensing in your Community is available which sets out information on the key changes, including supporting or objecting the award of a new premises licence, how to take action if there are problems with premises when it is trading, and information on the role of Licensing Standards Officers and Local Licensing Forums. These leaflets have been made available to community councils, Citizens Advice Scotland, and Alcohol Focus Scotland for distribution. In addition, information is available on the infoscotland website.

  We also expect licensed premises to play their part in advising customers, particularly in relation to the hours during which alcohol may be sold if these have changed.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the likely impact on off-sales of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: The accompanying documents for the Licensing (Scotland) Bill included a regulatory impact assessment. Further regulatory impact assessments have been published in respect of licensing fees and alcohol display areas, the latter of which applies to alcohol for consumption off the premises.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to licence holders regarding section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: Guidance is given to prospective personal licence holders as part of the training required by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Before a personal licence can be granted, the applicant must possess a licensing qualification. The training which leads to the award of a qualification includes training in respect of the offences under the act.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many licence holders have received a fine under section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and what the amount was in each case.

Kenny MacAskill: None. In line with the previous Executive’s timetable for implementing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, section 113 does not come into force until 1 September 2009.

Mental Health

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements it intends to make to the local delivery in the Scottish Borders of priority treatment for veterans with mental health problems.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Borders advises me that it provides psychological and psychiatric therapies, as appropriate, and follows national guidance for people with post traumatic stress following service in the armed forces. Current and ex-members of the armed forces are given priority when referred by their GP, in keeping with government guidance. After referral, full assessment takes place with individually tailored interventions and treatment depending on the diagnosis and corresponding care plan.

  The Scottish Government contributed fully to the MOD command paper published in summer 2008 and published our commitments paper the same day. Both documents set out the current and future proposals for service personnel care and support. We are now considering the responses to our consultations on Scotland’s veterans and forces’ communities designed to further inform arrangements for assessing, addressing and meeting well-being and welfare needs.

  We continue to work with the MOD and other UK health departments to pilot new community-based models of care that address the particular mental health needs of veterans. For Scotland an innovative mental health pilot designed in partnership with NHS Lothian and Combat Stress will, from early next year, provide a community based walk in "one stop shop" for veterans’ mental health care in the centre of Edinburgh. This new provision forms part of our ambition to improve and extend the overall quality of services and support for service personnel, their families and for veterans and progress with which will also inform approaches in other areas.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is for handling letters addressed to Scottish ministers on reserved matters.

Bruce Crawford: The policy for handling correspondence addressed to Scottish ministers on reserved matters is as follows:

  Issues where Scottish Government ministers would not have a view and which are appropriate for response by a UK Government will receive an acknowledgement.

  Issues where Scottish ministers would want to give a view, but not necessarily in opposition to the UK Government will receive a substantive reply.

  Issues where Scottish ministers would want to give a view and express a view different to that of UK Government will receive a substantive reply incorporating those views.

  In all cases copies of the correspondence will be forwarded to the relevant UK Department for consideration and further response to points of policy where appropriate.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many letters on reserved matters have been received by Scottish ministers in each year since 1999.

Bruce Crawford: Statistical information is not held on the number of letters received by Scottish ministers on reserved matters in each year since 1999.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many letters on reserved matters received by Scottish ministers in each year since 1999 have requested the views of ministers.

Bruce Crawford: Statistical information is not held on the number of letters received by Scottish ministers on reserved matters in each year since 1999 which have requested the views of ministers.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra members of staff are expected to deal with correspondence regarding reserved matters arising from recent changes to procedure.

Bruce Crawford: The procedures in place to respond to ministerial correspondence on reserved matters will not require any additional resources.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the expected cost is of dealing with correspondence regarding reserved matters.

Bruce Crawford: The new procedure put in place to respond to ministerial correspondence on reserved matters will not require any additional resources.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether discussion has taken place with UK ministers regarding its decision to respond directly to reserved matters.

Bruce Crawford: Discussions take place with UK ministers on a range of matters on a regular basis.

  No specific discussions took place with UK ministers regarding the decision to respond directly to ministerial correspondence on reserved matters.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions Scottish ministers have referred correspondence relating to reserved matters to UK ministers in each year since 1999.

Bruce Crawford: Statistical information is not held on the number of occasions that letters received by Scottish ministers on reserved matters have been referred to UK ministers in each year since 1999.

Ministerial Correspondence

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff will have their job descriptions amended to include responsibility for dealing with correspondence on reserved matters.

Bruce Crawford: There is no requirement to amend job descriptions as tasks within the new guidance for handling ministerial correspondence on reserved matters fall under existing staff remits.

NHS Hospitals

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS hospitals are cleaned by private contractors.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following hospitals have outsourced cleaning services. With the exception of Gilbert Bain and Drumchapel Hospitals these contracts form part of a PPP arrangement.

  

 In Operation
 


 NHS Shetland
 Gilbert Bain Hospital


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 East Ayrshire Hospital


 NHS Highland
 New Craigs


 NHS Lanarkshire
 Hairmyres Hospital


 
 Wishaw Hospital


 NHS Lothian
 Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh


 
 Ellen’s Glen House


 
 Ferryfield House


 
 Tippethill Hospital


 NHS Tayside
 Carseview


 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 Drumchapel Hospital


 
 Medicine for the Elderly Unit – Southern General Hospital


 Contract awarded but not yet operational
 


 NHS Forth Valley
 Acute Hospital in Larbert

NHS Hospitals

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS hospitals are engaged in a private catering contract.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following hospitals have outsourced catering services. With the exception of Gilbert Bain Hospital these contracts form part of a PPP arrangement.

  

 In Operation
 


 NHS Shetland
 Gilbert Bain Hospital


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 East Ayrshire Hospital


 NHS Highland
 New Craigs


 NHS Lanarkshire
 Hairmyres Hospital


 
 Wishaw Hospital


 NHS Lothian
 Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh


 
 Ellen’s Glen House


 
 Ferryfield House


 
 Tippethill Hospital


 NHS Tayside
 Carseview


 Contract awarded but not yet operational
 


 NHS Forth Valley
 Acute Hospital in Larbert

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to reduce the number of police officers on suspension in the last six months.

Kenny MacAskill: The suspension of police officers under the Police (Conduct) (Scotland) Regulations 1996 is an operational matter for the chief constable of the relevant police force.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure and budget was for each police force in Scotland in real terms for each of the last three years and what the figures are anticipated to be for 2008-09.

Kenny MacAskill: Revenue and capital budgets for individual forces are not held centrally. Information on revenue and capital expenditure is shown in the following tables.

  Police Revenue Expenditure

  Actual Expenditure

  

 Force
 2005-06
 2006-07
 2007-08


 Central
 45,873
 48,343
 52,025


 Dumfries and Galloway
 27,965
 29,128
 29,824


 Fife
 58,203
 59,734
 64,828


 Grampian
 90,120
 95,035
 99,373


 Lothian and Borders
 178,833
 185,396
 191,075


 Northern
 50,277
 53,966
 56,916


 Strathclyde
 476,424
 496,307
 504,443


 Tayside
 76,393
 79,211
 81,187



  Source: Police Grant claims from individual forces for 2005-06 to 2007-08.

  Expenditure at 2005-06 Prices

  

 Force
 2005-06
 2006-07
 2007-08


 Central
 45,873
 47,075
 49,156


 Dumfries and Galloway
 27,965
 28,364
 28,179


 Fife
 58,203
 58,167
 61,253


 Grampian
 90,120
 92,542
 93,893


 Lothian and Borders
 178,833
 180,533
 180,537


 Northern
 50,277
 52,551
 53,777


 Strathclyde
 476,424
 483,289
 476,623


 Tayside
 76,393
 77,133
 76,710



  Police Capital

  Expenditure

  

 Force
 2005-06
 2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09


 Central
 1,846
 1,732
 1,918
 1,528


 Dumfries and Galloway
 981
 946
 867
 918


 Fife
 1,966
 2,721
 2,432
 2,273


 Grampian
 3,210
 3,834
 6,922
 5,353


 Lothian and Borders
 6,258
 5,715
 10,918
 16,179


 Northern
 3,865
 2,273
 2,136
 2,834


 Strathclyde
 18,823
 17,956
 12,901
 20,270


 Tayside
 2,614
 2,717
 2,200
 2,414



  Source: CR financial returns for 2005-06 and 2006-07. CRQ4 2007-08 for provisional figures and CRQ1 for 2008-09 forecasts.

  Expenditure – (2005-06 prices)

  

 Force
 2005-06
 2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09


 Central
 1,846
 1,687
 1,812
 1,444


 Dumfries and Galloway
 981
 921
 819
 867


 Fife
 1,966
 2,650
 2,298
 2,148


 Grampian
 3,210
 3,733
 6,540
 5,058


 Lothian and Borders
 6,258
 5,565
 10,316
 15,287


 Northern
 3,865
 2,213
 2,018
 2,678


 Strathclyde
 18,823
 17,485
 12,190
 19,152


 Tayside
 2,614
 2,646
 2,079
 2,281

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many serving police officers there were in each force on 30 September 2008 and what the comparable figures were for the equivalent day in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007.

Kenny MacAskill: Figures on the number of police officers employed by each force on 30 September 2008 are expected to be published by the Scottish Government on 2 December 2008.

  For financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, figures on the number of police officers employed by each force are available in the Quarterly Strength Return, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 40257 and 43307). This is updated on a quarterly basis to reflect returns for 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December each year.

Prison Service

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service is searching for a site to replace HM Prison Greenock.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS announced on 22 October 2008 its intention to commence work to identify and acquire a site to replace HM Prison Greenock.

  The characteristics of the existing prison site do not support redevelopment alongside normal prison operations therefore a new site is required.

  HM Prison Inverclyde will replace HM Prison Greenock and the SPS has commenced looking for a potential site for this new prison within or near to the Inverclyde area.

  Funding will be provided to the SPS to build a replacement for HM Prison Greenock on the preferred site identified in this process.

Public Appointments

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether members of the First Minister’s Council of Economic Advisors are required to complete a declaration of financial and business interests; where any such declarations are published, and whether such declarations will be required in the future.

John Swinney: Members of the Council of Economic Advisers are not required to complete a declaration of financial and business interests and there are currently no plans to require such declarations in the future.

Public Private Partnerships

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which banks own, or are part of consortia that own, companies contracted to undertake PFI/PPP projects for the Scottish Government, broken down by PFI/PPP project.

John Swinney: Information on banks as equity investors in PFI projects, where held, is provided in the following table. The information reflects the position when the original project contracts were signed. Equity investors are able to sell their investment subsequently.

  The major funding for PFI projects is from institutions providing debt finance, many of which are banks. Information on these institutions, where held, can be found on the Scottish Government website under ‘"done deals" at www.scotland.gov.uk/ppp. The institutions listed are those at the point of original contract signature. After a project becomes operational, it may be refinanced and funders may change. This information is not recorded centrally.

  Table of Banks as Equity Investors in PFI Projects (where Information Held)

  

 Project
 Bank


 Glasgow schools 
 Bank of Scotland


 Highland school PPP1
 Royal Bank of Scotland


 Aberdeenshire schools PPP1
 Bank of Scotland


 Edinburgh schools PPP1
 Bank of Scotland


 East Ayrshire schools
 Nord LB


 North Ayrshire schools
 Nord LB


 South Ayrshire schools
 Bank of Scotland


 Perth and Kinross schools
 ABN Amro Bank NV


 Baldovie Waste to Energy
 Barclays


 Angus A92
 Barclays


 Perth and Kinross office accommodation
 Royal Bank of Scotland


 Stirling College
 Bank of Scotland


 North Ayrshire 
 Bank of Scotland


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran Crosshouse Maternity Hospital
 Allied Irish Bank


 NHS Greater Glasgow Larkfield
 Bank of Scotland


 NHS Highland New Craigs Hospital
 Bank of Scotland


 NHS Lanarkshire Wishaw Hospital
 Bank of Scotland


 NHS Lanarkshire Victoria and Stobhill ACADS
 Barclays


 NHS Lothian Findlay House
 Bank of Scotland

Public Private Partnerships

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers last approved the award of contracts for new (a) schools and (b) hospitals and for which projects.

John Swinney: The schools and health projects which have reached contract signature using PPP/NPD structures since May 2007 are provided in the following tables:

  Schools Projects where Contract Signature has Been Approved Since May 2007

  

 Project
 Date


 Falkirk Schools NPD
 May 2007


 East Dunbartonshire Schools PPP
 August 2007


 West Lothian Schools PPP2 
 August 2007


 Perth and Kinross Schools PPP
 October 2007


 Aberdeen City Schools NPD
 December 2007


 Dumfries and Galloway Schools PPP
 January 2008


 West Dunbartonshire Schools PPP
 January 2008


 Inverclyde Schools PPP
 October 2008



  Health Projects where contract Signature has Been Approved Since May 2007

  

 Project
 Date


 NHS Forth Valley - Forth Valley Acute Hospital Project PPP
 May 2007


 NHS Forth Valley - Clackmannanshire Community Health Services Project PPP
 July 2007


 The State Hospital
 October 2007


 NHS Fife - St Andrews Community Hospital and Resource Centre PPP
 November 2007

Public Sector Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to resolve the on-going pay dispute with its workers and the pay disputes of its agencies.

John Swinney: Across the Scottish administration there are a number of separate pay bargaining units. Where there are continuing disputes about pay, it has been made clear to the relevant unions that management is willing to continue to work towards settling any differences within the terms of Scottish public sector pay policy.

Public Sector Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what proportion of its workers and those of its agencies were paid a salary of less than (a) £25,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £18,000 and (d) £16,000 in each year since 1999.

John Swinney: The number and percentage of permanent staff in the Scottish Government main bargaining unit and the senior civil service within each salary group, as at 30 September 2008, is shown below. The full-time equivalent salaries of part-time staff have been included in the calculation.

  

 
 Less Than £16,000
 Less Than £18,000
 Less Than £20,000
 Less Than £25,000


 Year
 Number
 Percentage
 Number
 Percentage
 Number
 Percentage
 Number
 Percentage


 1999
 3,142
 52.9%
 3,612
 60.8%
 4,022
 67.7%
 4,772
 80.3%


 2000
 3,390
 52.8%
 3,906
 60.8%
 4,326
 67.4%
 5,099
 79.4%


 2001
 3,196
 47.5%
 3,550
 52.7%
 4,121
 61.2%
 5,191
 77.1%


 2002
 3,076
 43.0%
 3,554
 49.7%
 3,971
 55.5%
 5,125
 71.7%


 2003
 2,784
 36.5%
 3,293
 43.1%
 3,690
 48.3%
 5,151
 67.5%


 2004
 2,652
 34.1%
 2,979
 38.3%
 3,299
 42.5%
 4,858
 62.5%


 2005
 2,522
 33.3%
 2,851
 37.7%
 3,141
 41.5%
 4,696
 62.0%


 2006
 1,361
 17.8%
 2,556
 33.4%
 2,946
 38.4%
 4,462
 58.2%


 2007
 1,248
 15.8%
 2,490
 31.5%
 2,952
 37.3%
 4,407
 55.7%


 2008
 967
 12.1%
 2,411
 30.2%
 3,063
 38.4%
 4,256
 53.3%

Public Sector Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what proportion of its workers and those of its agencies worked part time in each year since 1999 and what the average salary was for such workers in each of those years.

John Swinney: The number and percentage of permanent staff in the Scottish Government main bargaining unit and the senior civil service who worked part-time, as at 30 September 2008, along with the average salary, is shown in the following table.

  

 Year
 Number
 Percentage
Average Salary
(Full-Time Equivalent)


 1999
 494
 8.32%
£16,563


 2000
 533
 8.30%
£16,536


 2001
 617
 9.17%
£18,282


 2002
 682
 9.54%
£19,602


 2003
 779
 10.21%
£20,752


 2004
 825
 10.62%
£22,583


 2005
 815
 10.76%
£22,963


 2006
 869
 11.34%
£24,551


 2007
 1005
 12.70%
£26,013


 2008
 1090
 13.65%
£27,755

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of offshore wind developments being planned for Scottish territorial waters and, if none, what the reasons are for its position on this matter, in light of the SEA being conducted for other UK territorial waters.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government announced its plans for a strategic environmental assessment of Scottish territorial waters for offshore wind energy on 29 October 2008. This is currently being commissioned.

  Further details are included in a Scottish Government news release of 29 October 2008, available at http://sh45inta/News/Releases/2008/10/29112030.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of planned offshore wind developments as a matter of priority, in light of the increasing demand for such developments and concern that the absence of strategic guidance, which an SEA would provide, could disadvantage developers wishing to pursue sites in Scottish waters.

Jim Mather: A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of Scottish territorial waters is currently being commissioned, and the rest of the renewable energy zone is the subject of an SEA being carried out in cooperation with the UK Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that information that might be available to it through a strategic environmental assessment is taken into account when determining offshore wind farm applications in Scottish territorial waters.

Jim Mather: We expect that any application for an offshore wind farm will require an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA should be informed by relevant plans, programmes and strategies for which a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been undertaken. In this way the information available through the SEA will be material to the determination of the application.

Respite Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14068 by Shona Robison on 19 June 2008, how many additional weeks of respite care are being provided in each local authority area.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15096 on 8 August 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

School Meals

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils in P1 to P3 in the Aberdeen City Council area are entitled to free school meals and at what total cost.

Adam Ingram: The free school meals survey data does not contain information by pupil stage. The most recent school meals data are available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/24125730/0.

School Meals

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding additional funding for free school breakfasts for all pupils in P1 to P7, due to be implemented in 2010.

Adam Ingram: We have not had any discussions with Aberdeen City Council regarding additional funding for free school breakfasts for all P1 to P7 pupils.

School Meals

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the plans by Aberdeen City Council to introduce free school breakfasts for every pupil in P1 to P7 by 2010 will meet the objective set by Scottish ministers of free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils.

Adam Ingram: Aberdeen City Council will be expected to roll out free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010, as set out in the concordat. In addition to providing free school lunches Aberdeen City Council may, if it so decides, also provide free breakfasts for all primary schools.

School Meals

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the additional cost of providing free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils in the city of Aberdeen.

Adam Ingram: The additional funding to enable Aberdeen City Council to provide free nutritious school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010 has already been included in the local government settlement provided to the council for the period from 2008 to 2011.

Schools

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what schools are under construction in Edinburgh and the Lothians; when (a) expenditure was approved and (b) construction began on each, and when each is expected to be completed.

Fiona Hyslop: The details of precisely when individual school investment projects were approved by councils and when construction started and is expected to finish, are matters for the relevant local authorities.

Schools

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to ensuring that education authorities provide adult playground supervision for primary schools, regardless of the size of school roles.

Maureen Watt: The Schools (Safety and Supervision of Pupils) (Scotland) Regulations 1990, impose a clear and explicit duty on education authorities to take reasonable care for the safety of all pupils under their charge by the provision of such supervision as they consider is required to comply with that duty in any circumstances i.e. including in the playground. That comprehensive duty applies irrespective of the age of the pupils or of the school roll.

Schools

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in making school grounds and facilities more accessible after school hours and during weekends.

Fiona Hyslop: Local authorities’ and COSLA’s commitment to making school facilities more accessible for community use is already well documented. The Audit Scotland report Improving the School Estate indicated that many schools are providing community access to facilities and new build schools are often designed with community use in mind. The report highlights good practice but also identifies areas for improvement. The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly accepted all of the recommendations in the report, and have established a Working Group to consider how they should be taken forward in the development of the new School Estate Strategy.

Scotland Act 1998

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis its decision to take a policy position on reserved matters is competent within the scope of the Scotland Act 1998.

Bruce Crawford: The Scotland Act 1998 (as amended) sets out the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and provides for many of the functions of the Scottish ministers. Nothing in the 1998 Act prevents the Scottish Parliament or the Scottish ministers from forming or expressing a view on a reserved matter. This is unsurprising given the relevance of reserved issues to many matters which are, in Scotland, devolved. Moreover, the memorandum of understanding between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, in place since devolution, expressly recognises that devolved legislatures are entitled to debate non-devolved matters.

Scottish Government

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the democratic process is for formulating its view on reserved matters.

Bruce Crawford: Ministers are democratically accountable to the Scottish Parliament and, ultimately, to the Scottish people for any view they formulate as Scottish ministers, whether on a reserved or devolved matter. The Scottish Government will not hesitate to formulate a view on any matter if it considers that doing so is in the best interest of the Scottish people.

Scottish Government Communications

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its press spokespersons will be asked to deal with issues relating to reserved matters and what the expected cost is of this change.

Bruce Crawford: Communications officers already deal with issues relating to reserved matters, and have done so since 1999. Responses are decided on a case-by-case basis and this will continue. No additional cost is anticipated.

Scottish Government Procurement

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses and charities will benefit from its 10-day target for paying its bills from small businesses, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: The improvements to the Scottish Government’s systems and processes will improve payment performance to all suppliers.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17031 on 5 November 2005. Our payment system does not distinguish between smaller and larger businesses. Nor does this system hold information about the charitable status of our suppliers, or their local authority area.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Scottish Government Procurement

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value of public procurement is with small businesses in Scotland.

John Swinney: Information concerning the total value of public procurement with small businesses in Scotland is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, based upon information held in the Scottish Procurement Information Hub relating to financial year 2006-07, the total expenditure by Scottish public bodies with small and medium-sized enterprises is £2.962 billion. This figure does not include expenditure by public bodies where the value on any one occasion is less than £1,000.

Scottish Government Procurement

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bills from small businesses are paid within 10 days and how many are not.

John Swinney: We do not currently hold this information, as our payment system does not classify suppliers according to business size. It would be disproportionately expensive to gather this information.

Scottish Government Procurement

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend its payment policy in the Scottish Public Finance Manual to reflect its new commitment to pay contractors within 10 days.

John Swinney: The Scottish Public Finance Manual will be amended to reflect the target of paying the bills of small businesses around Scotland within 10 days.

Sex Offenders

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of convicted sex offenders who did not attend the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in the last year were in receipt of alternative treatment and what that treatment entailed.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not currently available.

  This will be provided in due course once we have cross-referenced all Prisoner Programmes and Approved Activity completion data for 2007-08 against sex offender records.

Sport

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidance has been issued to local authorities to ensure that school grounds and facilities are more accessible after school hours and at weekends.

Fiona Hyslop: We are committed, as are the local authorities, to improving community access to school facilities, and we are working together to enhance both the quality and accessibility of such facilities. Our joint work with COSLA on the new School Estate Strategy provides an excellent opportunity to look again at how best to accommodate the expectations of local communities.

Trading Standards

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns that its proposals to restrict tobacco displays will lead to an increase in contraband and imitation products.

Shona Robison: We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that restrictions on the display of tobacco displays will lead to an increase in illicit tobacco products. However, the Scottish Government recognises that smuggled or counterfeit tobacco products constitute a serious public health risk by undermining efforts to reduce tobacco consumption. As set out in the Smoking Prevention Action Plan, Scotland’s future is Smoke-free , which was published in May 2008 the Scottish Government is committed to collaborating with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to reduce the impact of illicit sales of tobacco products on Scottish communities. This action will be linked to the proposed new Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme which will be formally launched within the next few months.

  Link to action plan http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0.

Trading Standards

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns that its proposals to restrict tobacco displays will impact on the future economic viability of some responsible small retailers, including specialist tobacconists.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently developing a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which will examine in detail the risks and benefits of the proposed legislative action. Retailers have been given the opportunity to feed into the RIA. We are, of course, committed to a vibrant small business sector and are doing a great deal to support them. While there can be no compromise on the Scottish Government’s goal of protecting children and young people, and the population as a whole, from the misery and distress of cancer, heart disease and other smoking related illness, we are keen to work with retailers on making the implementation process as easy as possible, including exploring ways to keep costs incurred to a minimum.

Trading Standards

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns that its proposals to restrict tobacco displays will lead to a loss of business for small shops in favour of supermarkets.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently developing a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which will examine the impact on business of the proposed legislative action. There is no reason to believe that restrictions on displays, which would apply to shops of all sizes, will lead to a shift in trade from small retailers to supermarkets. However, this will be taken into account in the RIA.

Trading Standards

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that action to tackle the illegal tobacco trade is more important than proposals to restrict tobacco displays in shops.

Shona Robison: As I made clear in my statement to the Scottish Parliament on 21 May 2008 to launch the Smoking Prevention Action Plan, Scotland’s Future is Smoke-free , the Scottish Government believes that a comprehensive and co-ordinated programme of measures is necessary to dissuade children and young people from smoking. Tackling the trade on illicit tobacco products and restricting the display of tobacco products in shops are both important in their own way.

  Link to Action Plan http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0.

Transport

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to offer funding for the Inverness trunk link route as part of its transport plans.

Stewart Stevenson: Future investment in Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network is being considered as part of Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), which will lead to a transport programme targeted at facilitating better movement of people across Scotland to increase wealth and enable more people to share fairly in that wealth.

  STPR will recommend a programme of interventions for delivery beyond the current programme. Funding for interventions will depend upon decisions in future spending reviews and affordability.

Transport

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make an announcement on which strategic transport projects it will fund.

Stewart Stevenson: The current planned expenditure for our programme of major trunk road and rail infrastructure improvements up until 2012 can be found on the Transport Scotland website at www.transportscotland.gov.uk .

  Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects Review will make recommendations on which strategic transport projects will feed into future spending reviews.

Transport

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Inverness trunk link route requires upgrading and has strategic significance.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects Review is examining the longer term needs of Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network. This includes consideration of the Inverness trunk link route.

Vaccinations

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16575 by Shona Robison on 8 October 2008, whether it will publish the routine monitoring by each NHS board that suggests that an increasing number of GPs are participating in the human papilloma virus vaccination programme.

Shona Robison: No. This information is routinely monitored at board level as each contract is between the board and the GP practice. It is not centrally collected for the whole of Scotland.

Vaccinations

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether girls aged 12 and 13 years can be given the vaccine for protection against the human papilloma virus without the knowledge and permission of their parents.

Shona Robison: It is preferable for a decision to be made as a family. The law allows a young person under the age of 16 to give consent themselves if a suitably qualified health professional deems they are capable of understanding what is being proposed. This is explained to parents in the HPV Questions and Answers booklet which is issued along with the information leaflet and consent form.

Vaccinations

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what sources of advice it sought before accepting Cervarix as the preferred choice for its human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme.

Shona Robison: Procurement of the vaccine was undertaken on a UK wide basis by the Department of Health, as part of a formal EU procurement process. Both vaccines were scored against a number of pre-set scientific and cost effectiveness criteria. These criteria were shared with the manufacturers during the process so that they were fully informed of the criteria against which their bids would be evaluated.

Vaccinations

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the reasons why Cervarix has yet to be licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Shona Robison: No. Licensing processes are completely independent of one another. In the UK we only use products that have received a European licence.